Time, Being, and Soul in the Oldest Sanskrit Sources employs philological methods to gain insight into the meanings of the ancient Sanskrit texts. The incredible thinkers of these early texts posed questions on the origin of the universe and ultimately on man's own mortality. The fate of the vital force, that part of man's being which is the source of life, must be an aspect of the fate of the universe. Understanding the meaning of the early speculations is a necessary element in understanding the later discussions of the fate of that vital force which westerners have translated as soul.